


Match in the Gas Tank

by spaceprincessem



Series: i've always liked to play with fire [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Void Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27614863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceprincessem/pseuds/spaceprincessem
Summary: So Derek would burn Beacon Hills to the ground before he let thisthingtake Stiles away from them.aka the Void/Derek scene we all wanted, but never got. Takes place between season 3b episodes "Letharia Vulpina" and "Echo House"
Relationships: Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: i've always liked to play with fire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024093
Comments: 14
Kudos: 290





	Match in the Gas Tank

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh just a few notes real quick. I am just gonna ignore the whole Derek and Chris got arrested bit for the sake of this fic. I also allude to a scene from season 3a that Stiles was not present for, but I just imagine that Derek told Stiles about it so that's why he would know.

Derek felt exhausted. Like bone deep, muscles aching, barely able to keep his eyes open exhausted. The past few days had felt like a never ending nightmare -  _ like that was anything new _ \- and Derek just wanted to fucking sleep. He’d been running on empty, pushing himself to keep going because when it came down to it there was really no other choice. Stiles had been missing.  _ Again _ . And it came as only a small relief when Scott had texted him a few hours ago that they had found him.

Derek had wanted to  _ see _ Stiles with his own eyes. Run his fingers between the boy’s shoulder blades, trace the constellation of moles on his skin. He wanted to hear Stiles call him  _ Sourwolf _ or watch him roll his eyes in exasperation, reassuring them all that he was fine. Because, they knew - Derek knew - Stiles was far from being fine. Something had taken over. Something dark. Something dangerous.

_ Something deadly. _

It made a shiver go down Derek’s spine. He knew they didn’t have much time to figure out how to save Stiles because that’s what they were going to do. They were going to save Stiles. There wasn’t another option. No back up plan. Just one thought. Two words.

_ Save Stiles. _

Derek couldn’t lose Stiles. Not after Erica. Not after Boyd. He couldn’t lose another person he cared about because that was the thing, right? Derek cared about Stiles. He hadn’t wanted to or meant to, but it happened. Stiles had wormed his way right into Derek’s cold, dead heart and somehow breathed life right back in just when Derek had thought it was all gone. Stiles had given up playing in his first lacrosse game for Derek. Stiles had helped Derek save Isaac from the police station. Stiles had disregarded his own safety and held Derek up in a pool for over two hours. Stiles had helped him search for Boyd and Erica all summer when no one else would. Stiles had offered him comfort when he was forced to kill Boyd. Stiles had come back for him in the elevator. Stiles never gave up. Stiles researched and fought and protected his friends. Stiles was an anchor.

So Derek would burn Beacon Hills to the ground before he let this  _ thing _ take Stiles away from them. 

He just needed a little rest, a small recharge to clear his head. He couldn’t save Stiles stumbling around the town blind and ready to fall over any moment. Stiles was as safe as he could be if he was with Scott and the others. Derek just needed a moment to gather his thoughts. The loft was dark and quiet, but Derek felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, like the air was suddenly alive with electricity. His jaw ached with the need to drop his fangs, eyes flashing blue in the dark. He fought to maintain control as he pushed the door open. Then it hit him. The thumping sound of a heartbeat that was a little too fast. A rush of warm cinnamon and vanilla, with the smallest underline of pine. Derek could taste it on his tongue, his wolf whining in his chest, but just as he caught sight of a silhouette standing in the darkness, facing the windows across the room, the scents suddenly soured.

“Stiles?” Derek asked, voice barely above a whisper.

It was like some invisible force had shattered. Derek could feel it in the air. The metallic taste of blood nearly made him choke. He took a step in, ears straining to hear that heartbeat, memorize it like his life depended on it.

“Derek?”

His voice cracked with anxiety, riddled with fear. Derek stopped just a few feet in front of the boy, looking at him with wide eyes, searching his face for a hint of the darkness he knew was lingering just beneath the surface. He was drenched and shivering, his doe-browns pinning Derek with a look that made his heart drop into his stomach.

“Stiles,” Derek repeated his name, louder, “I thought you were with Scott.”

“Derek I-” Stiles broke off, running his fingers through his hair, pulling at the soaked strands, “I don’t know how I got here.” He was panicking. Chest heaving. “One moment I was with Kira and Scott heading for the clinic when the Oni attacked.”

“Are you hurt?” Derek asked, taking a step closer, eyes raking over Stiles in concern. 

Stiles shook his head. “No, I-” he broke off again, like he was holding back a sob, “Derek I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

He reached out, ready to pull Stiles in his arms just to feel him, scent him, make sure that he was real, when he smelled it. Those warm scents of cinnamon and sweetness and pine and  _ home _ suddenly smelled like ash and death and decay. It was enough to make Derek snarl, his beta shift taking over. He moved on instinct, on the primal urge to protect the thing that was most precious to him. He had Stiles pinned against the wall, snapping his fangs in the boys face.

“DEREK!” Stiles screamed in fear as he struggled against Derek’s hold. “Let me go! LET ME GO!”   


“You’re not Stiles.” Derek growled.

It was too late. They were too late. The monster was finally here and now Derek needed a match and an entire goddamn tank of gasoline because if Stiles burned then the rest of the godforsaken world was going to burn with him. 

And then something truly haunting happened.

The fear, the screams, the panic, the tears all stopped. Dead silence. Derek watched as those doe-brown eyes turned darker, a smirk curling up in the corner of his lips.

“Good.” He -  _ it _ \- said in a voice that was so much like Stiles, but nothing like him at all at the same time. “Good job Derek Hale. Consider me impressed.” It licked its lips. “Tell me, what gave it away? I was with Scott all day, hell, I even saw my - sorry -” it said with a chuckle, “ _ his _ dad and yet no one else saw.”

Derek’s grip on Stiles’ shirt tightened, his growl reverberating in his chest. “Smelled wrong.” Was all he managed to say. Because he couldn’t lose control. Stiles was still in there somewhere. Still fighting. He couldn’t hurt Stiles. And  _ it _ knew that.

Void.  _ Void _ .

Void arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting.”

“Where’s Stiles?” Derek snarled.

Void just smiled. “Right here.” He said, pointing to his head. “But Derek, I came here for you, and I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.”

Before Derek could think Void was grabbing his wrist with surprising strength, turning them until Derek felt his bones breaking. He cried out in pain, dropping Stiles - _dropping_ _Void_ \- as his skin began to burn, his healing immediately taking over. Void chuckled darkly before he fisted the front of Derek’s shirt, hooking his arm under Derek’s shoulder, popping it out of place before slamming his head into the nearest wooden post. Derek felt his vision blur, his stomach lurching from the pain, but he barely had time to think as he was tossed in the air, hitting the brick wall before crashing to the floor.

“This probably looks familiar,” he heard Void say, the sound of metal scraping against the floor making him freeze, “but we’re forgetting the best part.”

Derek was too slow as Void moved inhumanly fast, raising the metal rod, and thrusting it through the middle of Derek’s back. A deep and raspy growl tore through Derek’s throat as he held himself up on his hands and knees, body trembling as blood began to pool beneath him.

“Much better.” Void purred as he bent down, tilting his head to the side, like a snake.

“Why-” Derek spat, crimson red spilling from his lips as he raised his gaze, “why St-”

“Why Stiles?” Void asked, an amused expression on its face. “It’s always the unassuming ones that are the real dangers, right?” It reached out, slowly dragging its thumb across Derek’s bottom lip, wiping up the blood. “And Stiles is clever, but you knew that.”

“Fuck you.” Derek snarled despite the pain and the very real threat of death looming over him.

“Don’t be such a Sourwolf,” Void said, its nimble fingers tapping against Derek’s back, until it trailed up to the metal rod, twisting it slightly, “this is your fault after all.”

Derek felt his claws scratching against the floor as he tried to fight the scream wanting to burst from his lips. “What are you talking about?”

Void tsked, lifting Derek’s chin so that he could clearly see the blackness in his favorite pair of amber eyes. “Maybe if you would have seen Jennifer for what she was instead of fucking her then dear old dad wouldn’t have been taken. Stiles would have been safe from something like me.”

Derek snapped at him, fangs grazing against skin, but Void only smiled wider.

“But that’s what Derek Hale is good at, right?” Void continued, a dangerous edge to its voice. “Picking the wrong person to love. Kate nearly wiped out the entire family, Jennifer almost took out the pack, and now Stiles, well, we’re just getting started, aren’t we?”

“You’re not Stiles.” Derek spat.

He closed his eyes, hating the pricks in the corners giving away to tears trailing down his cheeks. Void was right.  _ Void was fucking right _ . It was all his fault. It would always be his fault because he never learned from his goddamn mistakes. He was always going to inevitably kill the people he cared for most. He was always going to end up here. This time it was Stiles caught in the crossfire. The boy who came back for Derek. The boy who fought by his side and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. The boy who smelled like cinnamon and pine and  _ home _ .

“We are one and the same,” Void smirked slightly, “there is no Stiles without me.”

“You - you’re wrong.” Derek winched as he felt his skin slowly begin to heal around the metal.

“Gonna burn the world down for me, Derek?” Void asked.

Derek felt his face harden, his eyes flashing blue as he snarled. He was going to kill this - this  _ thing _ . The world had already taken so much away, it wasn’t about to take Stiles too. No. If Derek lost Stiles then there would be no coming back.

“Good.” Void hummed as it dipped its hands in Derek’s blood. “Let me give you the match.”

And just like that the stink of ash and death and decay were gone. Derek watched the gold crash against the darkness, doe-brown eyes widening in horror. Stiles stumbled backwards and Derek could really taste the panic, the absolute terror, in the air.

“Oh my god, Derek,” Stiles’ voice broke, “jesus  _ fuck _ .  _ What have I done _ ?”

“Stiles…” Derek murmured because there wasn’t much time. He knew why Void was doing this. Giving him the smallest piece of Stiles before taking him away. It fed off of the pain. The fear. The chaos. The heartbreak. And it knew it was about to get a three-course meal. “Please…”

Stiles’ hands were shaking, his grief stricken face wet with tears, but he quickly moved forward, pulling the metal rod from Derek’s body, allowing the wolf to fall to the floor in relief. The pain was unimaginable and Derek nearly passed out, but he forced himself to stay conscious. This could be his only chance to tell Stiles…

_ Tell Stiles… _

“Derek,” Stiles whispered his name, choking down a sob, “I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault.” Derek said as he slowly pushed himself up to his knees. “It’s not your fault.”

He could see Stiles was kneeling next to him, just out of reach. He looked like he was afraid to touch Derek, like he would hurt him if he did. He was wringing his blood soaked hands, eyes darting to the door, like he was thinking of bolting any moment.

“Shadow.” Derek heard Stiles mutter to himself. “Fucking shadow.”

“Stiles,” Derek said again, reaching out, taking one of his stained hands, gripping it tightly, “I’m not going to let it take you.”

Stiles shook his head. “You can’t stop  _ it _ . You’ll have to ki-” He cut off, taking in a shuddering breath.

“You know I can’t do that.” Derek whined. 

There was only one plan. One thought. One desire. One Need. Two words.

_ Save Stiles _ .

“Look what I did.” Stiles wheezed. “Look what I did to  _ you _ .”

“Stiles,” Derek said, resting his palm against Stiles’ cheek, “look at me, I’m healing. I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay, I’m not okay,” Stiles sobbed, chest heaving, “no of this is even remotely close to being okay!” He leaned into Derek’s touch, “Derek, don’t let me hurt anyone else.”

“I’m going to find a way to save you.” Derek said fiercely, his wolf growling in his chest in agreement. “I’m not going to let you go.”

Derek watched as Stiles closed his eyes, nodding his head ever so slightly. It was enough, just enough, would have to be enough as the monster returned. Derek jerked back as black eyes popped up, a wicked grin spreading across Stiles’ face.

“Chaos.” Void whispered. “I’ll make sure you're the last one alive to see it all turn to ash, because we all know you and ash are old friends, Derek.”

Derek could see movement in the shadows just behind Void, a familiar face. He quickly averted his eyes, aching to see amber in those darkening pools. 

“Good.” Derek said, causing Void to arch an inquisitive eyebrow right before Deaton stabbed a needle right into its neck.

Derek watched as a flutter of doe brown filled those dark eyes. A fleeting glance of Stiles in the  _ void _ . It thought Derek was afraid of the fire, terrified by the ash, but Derek had made a promise. 

_ Save Stiles _

Or burn down the entire goddamn world. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, idk i wanted to write a void!stiles and derek fic for a while now and i needed a break from my super long fic so i wrote this quick little thing. It was a shame we didn't get more void!stiles and derek interactions because they would have been amazing. Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


End file.
